Reddit has been fined more than £14m by the Information Commissioner’s Office for failing to keep children safe.
An investigation by the data protection watchdog found the US company used children’s information unlawfully.
A statement from the ICO said Reddit’s failings included not checking the age of users accessing its platform, putting youngsters at risk.
It said Reddit failed to:
• Apply any robust age assurance mechanism and therefore did not have a lawful basis for processing the personal information of children under the age of 13.
• Carry out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) to assess and mitigate risks to children before January 2025.
John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner, said: “It’s concerning that a company the size of Reddit failed in its legal duty to protect the personal information of UK children.
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“Children under 13 had their personal information collected and used in ways they could not understand, consent to or control. That left them potentially exposed to content they should not have seen. This is unacceptable and has resulted in today’s fine.
“Let me be clear. Companies operating online services likely to be accessed by children have a responsibility to protect those children by ensuring they’re not exposed to risks through the way their data is used. To do this, they need to be confident they know the age of their users and have appropriate, effective age assurance measures in place.
“Reddit failed to meet these expectations. They must do better and we are continuing to consider the age assurance controls now implemented by the platform.
“Relying on users to declare their age themselves is not enough when children may be at risk and we are focusing now on companies that are primarily using this method. I therefore strongly encourage industry to take note, reflect on their practices and urgently make any necessary improvements to their platforms.”
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